Archive for the ‘hardware’ Category

I was looking around the web for an explanation of how to remove the Shimano BL-M200 brake levers from the old mountain bike that I have recently (& probably “foolishly”) acquired.

I came up empty.

This is probably because these brakes are:

(1) very old (like the bike I have purchased),

(2) pretty low quality (“ditto”?),

(3) and probably should be replaced as soon as the opportunity presents itself (e.g. lottery win, surprise inheritance, found money, etc.).

Nonetheless, for posterity’s sake (and as a matter of making notes for “my-future-self”), here’s how I removed this brake lever:

(0) In these directions I refer to the black plastic part that covers the clamp as “the hood” (some drop-handle, road bike purists may take offense, but then they probably won’t be reading any blog posts about BL-M200 brake levers, eh);

(1) Loosen the cable at the brake (you don’t have to detach it completely if you’re just going to reconnect everything, just let it hang in limbo for now);

(2) Remove the tensioning screw at the lever (it’s wrapped by a spring and sticks out of the “hood”);

(3) Pull the lever, the cable should come through a bit now that it’s loosed;

(4) You should be able to see the lead weight anchor that is attached to the cable; it fits into the aluminum pull which is the part of the lever that is usually hidden by the hood when it’s all pieced together;

(5) Remove the anchor from the lever and let it hang in limbo (if you just want to remove the lever from the handlebar; if you want to replace the cable though, this is how you would pull it out of the casing);

(6) Now, pull the lever and hold it (as if applying the brake), and look into the opening where the lever meets the hood. Are you able to see the phillips head screw that tightens the clamp? If you can and are able to get your screwdriver in there, have at it;

(7) If you cannot see the clamp screw, try to remove the hood by pushing it off the clamp (away from the lever end and towards the body of the bike). Be careful, the hood is a fragile bit of plastic (and, given as old as it likely is, it has probably only gotten moreso); if it is stubborn, try prising its “wings” apart as you push it off the clamp. It will come off eventually, so don’t push it past the breaking point.

(8) Pull and hold the lever (as if applying the brake), unscrew the retaining screw a bit, and the clamp should loosen enough to slide it off the handlebar.